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Sound Room Treatment

The quality of sound in the main worship area is pretty much dependent on good acoustics. One of the most common problems with rooms is reverberation. This is a sound activity which results in sound bouncing from wall to wall causing everything to be hard to hear. If you wish to test the reverberation of a room, clap your hands and count the seconds until the sound goes away. If the clapping sound is more than 4 seconds, you probably have listening problems in the room.

If the acoustics are a problem in the room without sound amplification you will not improve this problem by amplifying the sounds; you may find it is worse. With the inclusion of contemporary music in the worship service, the need for less reverberation is very important. Less reverberation is also important for speech clarity. Generally if the worship area has concrete walls or drywall and tile or concrete floors with high ceilings, a reverberation exceeding 4 seconds can be expected.

Generally to improve sound quality, it's necessary to treat the hard services in the worship area. There can be an improvement in sound quality by adding carpeting and using fabric on the chairs or pews. The next area to consider is the rear wall. An approach is to put sound panels on the back wall to remove reverberation and slap back. If the room continues to be reverberant after this treatment, you may have to add additional panels to the sides and front of the worship area. These panels come in many sizes and colors and can be built to be in harmony with the church environment. The companies that sell acoustical panels also install them. Installing them yourself is very doable.